Stoutland excited about entire Eagles OL returning intact

— Everyone in the Philadelphia Eagles organization is so excited across the board about the almost unlimited possibilities that come with the second year in Chip Kelly's system.

Perhaps none more so than offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

Yes, three of his starters are north of 30, but two of them are Pro Bowl players and the two twenty-somethings, right tackle Lane Johnson and center Jason Kelce, are emerging stars with all the right tools and everything that's needed between the ears.

Johnson may have overpaid for a bottle of wine or two while treating his teammates on the line to a well-publicized $17,000 dinner recently, but with a $20 million contract he signed after being the fourth player taken in last year's NFL Draft, he can afford it.

Furthermore, he's earning every penny, according to Stoutland.

"We felt that there was such an upside to him," he said Monday, during an open session with all of Kelly's assistant coaches. "And until you get a player in your system and start working every day with him, you don't know for sure. But we had a really good feeling about that, and it's obviously true.

"You see it not only from a mental standpoint but from a physical standpoint. He's become so much more explosive and powerful in one year."

Explosion and power were not really problems for Johnson in his first year. The speed of the game was, and Johnson at times was exploited by more savvy defensive linemen who appeared to have a better grasp of the play that was called than he did.

To make sure those kinds of things never happen again, Johnson did some things during a busy offseason that made the staff take notice.

"He spent the whole offseason traveling to various places to work with some people on his skills, whether it be punching, whether it be getting stronger," Stoutland said. "He did this on his own.

"He's a true professional. He really puts time into the game on his own. Again, this was something we had a strong feeling about when we selected him. We just felt like he has so much more upside than some of the other players that [were] available. Maybe some of those guys were tapped out. Maybe they experienced all the growth and all that. We felt that Lane just had so much more."

Johnson first played right tackle at Oklahoma, after switching from tight end, which he played after arriving as a quarterback. But he switched to the left side as a senior.

What it means is that this is the first time since his high school days that he'll be playing the same position two seasons in a row.

"In the pass set, I feel a lot more comfortable on the right side than I did last year," Johnson said. "There was a lot of guessing and being unsure of myself last year. I want to come out playing fast right away and be confident, and I think when I do that, good things will happen."

Added Kelly: "He's different. Obviously he's not a first year player and he's not relying on [right guard] Todd Herremans to make the call for him. … Now Lane knows what to do and he's communicating a little bit better with those guys."

Everybody is, according to Herremans.

"We all know what to expect," he said. "We've all been through it for a year. Last year at this time, we were installing, learning certain things on each play. … But now we're able to flow."

What's more, left tackle Jason Peters is now two years removed from the twice-torn Achilles tendon that kept him sidelined for all of 2012, following what might have been one of the best seasons an offensive lineman has ever had in the NFL.

Last year, he was just OK with his movement (by his standards).

This year?

"I think there's still room for improvement," Stoutland said. "I think that he's an unusual, unusual player. His ability to play at a low [pad] level, his ability to burst off the line of scrimmage with very limited wasted motion is incredible. It's second to none."

Of course, the offensive line was unscathed by injury a year ago. Peters missed portions of two games, but nobody missed a start.

Yet in the limited exposure he had filling in for Peters, Allen Barbre proved to be so valuable that he was signed to a contract extension this offseason and can play any spot except center.

Beyond Barbre, Dennis Kelly, drafted in the fifth round in 2011, started 10 games in 2012, but injuries have knocked him back on the depth chart, and the rest of the cast, which includes Pocono Mountain West graduate Michael Bamiro, is largely unproven.

"That's the exciting part of the job," Stoutland said, "to continuously fight to make your position better."

Stoutland believes he and the team have improved the depth, but obviously doesn't want to have to prove it.

If the offensive line holds up the way it did last season, there's no reason to believe the Eagles offense won't experience similar success.

None of the five starters (not including tight end) on the Eagles offensive line missed a start last season. By contrast, four of their five projected starters from 2012 were not in action by the end of that season due to injuries or performance issues.